My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
- Sarah
- Apr 15, 2019
- 2 min read
This is the great cry of dereliction that Jesus uttered from the cross. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul says of Jesus, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (NIV)
If you feel distant from God, remember that Jesus experienced total separation from his beloved Father, so that you could be united with God.
But sometimes the separation can be self-inflicted. My experience is that closeness with God is something we really have to work at. In the past I have been angry with God for being distant when the truth is that I have put other things ahead of my relationship with God. I have been so busy thinking about my work, my relationships, my leisure activities. I used to tell myself that it did not matter if I did not pray in the mornings, or read scripture or attend house groups. How did I, a preacher, think that I could experience closeness with God without doing any of these things?
Even today, I was saying to myself that there were other things that I needed to do than spend time in prayer and meditation. But then I looked to the cross. I looked to Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. I thought about his unyielding determination to carry out God's plan of redemption, whatever the cost. "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all."
Lord Jesus, help me to live my life as you lived yours. Forgive my lukewarm, conflicted faith. Forgive me for the time I have wasted on the petty things of this world. I devote myself to you; please draw closer to me. Amen.

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